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An interview with ARW drummer, Lou Molino – 236

Lou Molino's website
Lou Molino’s website

In a bit of an exclusive scoop, Mark and I talk to Lou Molino about his role in Anderson Rabin Wakeman, on the drums. I also give my response to the recent Team Rock articlal and Mark has his latest 2 pence to share

  • What is Lou looking forward to about ARW?
  • How has working with Trevor Rabin been in the past?
  • Is there new music in the pipeline?

Listen to the episode then let me know what you think!

Louis Molino III
Louis Molino III

Show notes and links

ARW tour site

Lou Molino’s website

Roger Dean exhibition on the Isle of Man

Gates of Derilium reviewed by Preston Frazier

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Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from the following two creative commons sources: thanvannispen and archive.org

21 replies on “An interview with ARW drummer, Lou Molino – 236”

OK, Mark, here are my two (two… again…) Yes “do-overs”: “Time and A Word” and “Magnification.” Dump the orchestra(s) and let Geoff Downes create some new, modern sounding keyboard tracks. (With apologies to Tom Brislin).

Hello Joseph,

Wow…Great choices. I agree Time and a Word would benefit from Geoff ‘ s keyboard work…but I was surprised by Magnification. ..but then when I think about it..I have a feeling symphonies may not be your thing. Haha

Thanks again for your support my friend…and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next week…I’ve got a good one planned.

Mark Anthony K

On the contrary, my friend, I have a deep and abiding love and respect for orchestral music, it just usually doesn’t work out too well when modern bands try to incorporate symphonic accompaniment into their product, “Yes Symphonic” notwithstanding. It seems the orchestra is too often used as a substitute for a keyboard player and not much else: witness Dream Theater’s “Breaking The Fourth Wall.” Now, I LOOOVE me some DT but the orchestra might as well have not even been in the room for that one. Metallica did it pretty well with their attempt, but they are the exception to the rule. Also, I think the selection of composer and conductor has a great deal to do with the results.

I agree. Magnification without the orchestra, and instead one of the many Yes key maestros would be a truly different album. When I hear the songs, and imagine keys where the orchestra is, I actually hear an opportunity for either Rick, (who couldn’t make it I guess, and hence the orchestra, or perhaps Patrick Moraz. This would have fine album for him to get the second notch on his Yes belt with.

Very well spoken Kevin, I total agree with you on that !
I believe that the current line up is more than capable of making new “Yes” music.
Lou seems like a very humbled individual very cool, but really having to work with Trevor I’m sure that is and was amazing.

Hard for me to say which two Yes albums I would re-record, with Steve Wilson redoing all the big albums.
I would like to have Big Generator redone and Union with all Yes members actually involved and playing on it.

Greetings Paul,

I agree..Kevin did an excellent job speaking his mind about that article. And just for the record…I say Yes needs to continue. ..and I’m a firm supporter of Yes continuing well into the future.

Interesting choice of albums…Union, I think is a great choice. An album that many Yes fans and members weren’t entirely satisfied with. Big Generator is interesting to me because I feel the song writing needs improvement more then the production. ..but hey this is your opinion and I respect it. Again this is a great way to learn about each other’s likes and dislikes.

Thanks again for your support.

Mark Anthony K

I would like see Tales redone, reduced to one good album, with all the crap removed from sides 3 and 4.

Thanks for creating and maintaining the podcast. I enjoy them all but feel moved to say thanks after your team interview with Lou Molino. It was a perfect example what a vibrant medium the podcast is and how it can track new developments in a matter of days if not hours. I don’t really have the patience or time for forums these days, but YMP helps me feel connected and part of the Yes community. It helped a lot during the sad days last summer. I really appreciated your thoughts this week on the article which had suggested that Yes call it a day. You were passionate and loyal, but also considered and thoughtful, giving an excellent example a good audio leader article. YMP is a great piece of journalism and brightens my life. Thanks!

Thanks so much, Dave. I really appreciate the very kind words. I’m sure you know that you and the other listeners are the only reason I have managed to make it this far. With your support I hope to see another 5 years of production!

I saw a fan video from the latest tour – only looked at a few seconds of it – and the videographer panned over to the left side of the stage and there, in the frame were only Davison, Sherwood and Schellen. Three great musicians for sure but is this Yes? Perhaps what the Grateful Dead did and are doing can be a model here. Three members of the Dead are touring with a few other musicians and calling themselves Dead and Company. They continue to play the Dead repertoire and have the “spirit” of the Grateful Dead but they recognize that this is a different group. Another member, Phil Lesh, tours with his band doing the same thing, playing the Dead music and keeping the spirit of group improv that the Dead was known for, alive. Is it time for Yes to do that? Could this better be called the Howe/Downes Group? This is actually what ARW are doing – playing Yes music but not using the name. I realize there are marketing reasons for going out as Yes. Yes sells a lot more tickets than Howe/Downes would. And really, as much as this is art, it is also a business and business often dictates how these things work.

Hello Bob,

I understand what your saying and the example of the Grateful Dead was well thought out. But personally I don’t agree. .they should stay as Yes..back in 2005 we saw what happened when they attempted something like that ..I believe it was Howes band..Alan Whites band and was it Syn? ? I don’t remember now…but they were suppose to tour together and for the encode section at the end of the evening they would get together the 3 of them (actually I think it might have been Asia Steve was with because of Geoff) or was it 4 of them and they would do Drama songs together. That did so poorly the tour didn’t even happen as no tickets sold. Shortly after they got Benoit and reformed Yes. So ya…keep Yes going..subtitling it will spell disaster.

Mark Anthony K

I agree. I think Yes should tour under the name and continue to play the music. This is going to sound weird but I would like to see Yes become one of the first bands to encompass two generations of musicians. Sooner or later members of all my favorite bands are going to have to quit playing, I would love to see Yes continue for 20 or more years even if it is with new members.

Maybe in certain cases like Led Zep. after John Bonham died they could of continued w/o disrespect to anyone, it happens.

1. My two albums to be re-done:

I’d love for them to re-do Tormato. Primarily, so that Rick, or Geoff, or whoever does the keys, can take a look at using a different array of keyboards and keyboard arrangement which aren’t so twee. A wonderful album. One that with Kevin’s unknowing assistance has cracked my top 5 Yes albums of all time.

My second one would be 1994’s Talk. This is, I think, one of the perfect Yes albums. It’s always been difficult for me to understand why those who don’t love it, don’t love it. I SUSPECT it’s more about the odd state of affairs with the band, poor record sales, and poor tour attendance that leave an emotional mark on Yes fans, keeping them perhaps from being fully objective towards the music. Wrong album at the wrong time? Be that as it may, these songs need to be heard by all true Yes fans, and heard in a positive light. I’ve noticed one of the common complaints is it’s “lack of warmth”. I think this may have to to with the all digital recording, so…………………you leave everything, playing wise, pretty much as is. Everyone would re-create their parts, note for note, but it would be recorded on an analogue unit, and perhaps with Eddie Offord or even Trevor Horn producing. Maybe an extra keyboard wash or fill here and there with a little more open sound or chorusing type effect in a few places. Voila…..warm Talk. It may end up my favorite in the catalog. But only if we can stick Jon Anderson in a time machine to 1994. This is his peak vocal performance. Might just have to retain it like it is, and redo the other four parts of everything. His vocals could not be improved upon.

I tend toward the view that the current line up of Yes is more or less a tribute band including Steve Howe. For me Yes without Squire and Anderson is not the real deal. Having said that I’d not be quite as critical as the article you read out.

I enjoyed MAK’s two pence (I wish he’d re record the intro to the segment, his voice doesn’t go well trying to be that deep). If the album were to be remade using the current line up, I’d not want them anywhere near the recording studio. The only Yes album I’d like re-visited by the original band is Time and a Word. It is a superb album even with the strings but I’d love to hear an alternative with just the band playing. Is it possible to have a reissue?

My two do-overs would be Big Generator and Open Your Eyes. I think Big Generator was an album caught between what Rabin/Squire wanted from 90125 and what Anderson wanted. I would like to hear it redone with the emphasis on the 90125 parts.

As far as Open your Eyes, I don’t really know what I want other than it to be totally redone or just go away. It is by far my least favorite Yes album. So much so that the gap is like comparing the Monkees to the Beatles.

Great interview with Lou Molino. I feel like I know him a little now. When you talk of redoing an album, it that re-recording it or reworking it, possibly with new songs instead of what was released? Union and Open Your Eyes, while having some good individual songs, don’t work and I don’t think they could be salvaged. For my 2 do-overs: 1) Keystudio–A lot of great music that was just tossed on to a CD from studio tracks from KTA 1&2. Needs a bit of work for to be a great one. 2) I’ll go with Heaven and Earth. A Step Beyond’s horrible keyboards need to be redone. There was talk of a longer proggy track that they didn’t have time to finish–so finish it!

Kevin, your segment about Team Rock was spot-on! Good to hear more of you on the podcast!

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